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Camping

Our UK Camping forum has all the information you need on finding the right equipment for your tent or caravan.

Is it 'normal', once you have bought a tent...

22 replies

Whizzz · 07/01/2008 17:44

....to use it a few times and then want another type ! We made the mistake of looking in a camping shop at the Sales & now I want a new tent - a bit smaller & easier to put up than the one we have. Although DH says Nooooooo

OP posts:
Peachy · 07/01/2008 18:07

Yes, very.

Just ask lucycampcat LOL

We've amde an Active Decision to stick with ours this year, buts its the first time one ahs survived beyond a season

Whizzz · 07/01/2008 18:38

I want a Vango Orchy

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MaureenMLove · 07/01/2008 18:45

How about this one then. Is it normal to keep all the gifts out of your Xmas crackers and think, 'Oh, that'll be useful for camping!' We had posh crackers I hasten to add, so we had a mini screw driver kit, manicure set & a keyring torch!

inamuckingfuddle · 07/01/2008 18:46

oh that's definitely normal maureen, we've done the same

MrsWeasley · 07/01/2008 18:47

I don't go camping but the mini screw driver kit is so handy. We didn't have any this year but got 6 tape measures and 3 photo frames

SorenLorensen · 07/01/2008 18:48

Yes, but I think I hold the record Bought a Vango Colorado 8-berth - used it...ahem...once for...ahem...two nights...decided I was definitely a sewn-in-groundsheet kinda gal, sold it on ebay, and bought a Outwell Monty 6. Dh was surprisingly understanding

And I love our Monty but whenever there's a "what do you think of this tent?" thread on MN I get all excited - I'm addicted to tent porn now.

Blu · 07/01/2008 19:05

I believe that some MN-ers have a 'second home' tent. Or even more.

It seems that tent aquisition is even more addictive tham buggy-buying

halster · 07/01/2008 19:08

We have 3 tents now - and we have hardly been camping at all. I think its an addiction. About to buy our 4th ..... . You can't have too many though

Blu · 07/01/2008 19:09

Just as a matter of interest, halster, why 4 tents?

I would quite like one with a few improvements over the one we have...but 4?

Peachy · 07/01/2008 19:14

Ah Soren, we acquired a frame tent last year, took it, put it up, ahted it then went home again LOL

Stillr eesident at the end of our bed - must get DH to shift it before the home birth!

Ours is big enough for a second home LOL, but we almost bought a weekend tent- glad we didn't with the baby and all, need the space

halster · 07/01/2008 19:14

Well, since you asked ..... We have a three-man tent, too small for us now. So we bought a big 8 birth one that we have re-christened 'St Pauls' which is far too big and takes hours to put up. So we decided to buy a 'weekend' tent - smaller and quick-erect. Unfortunately my other half went a bit mad on e-bay and ended up buying one roughly the size of the NEC instead. So we are still after a weekend tent. Anyone want to buy a BIG tent? Sleeps 12, seats about 50 for a formal dinner?

Whizzz · 07/01/2008 19:44

I think you should be able to take the tents out of the shop to test drive before you buy ! Ours is lovely but also a bit St Pauls-ish & the thought of putting it up & down just for one or two nights use at a time is a bit

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Nappyzone · 07/01/2008 19:50

i just love tents and tent shops - i am mulling over folding campers now though to keep dh interested as he isnt really an outdoors boy and is saying ds too young to camp. I went through a stage 2 years ago where i bought about 12 tents on ebay in one season honestly just to erect them have a play and maybe go away in one and then sell it on.... our neighbours thought i was mad but it became my own personal challenge to put them up single handedly. It was a grand summer!!!

Lucycat · 09/01/2008 18:19

oy Peachy - you dissin my tent addiction?

Yep entirely natural, although we're now done with our tent buying for a few years - cos Lakey is just sublime and perfect in every way.....and expensive

I can't bear to part with any of our others though - yet!

anyone want to buy an Outwell Colorado 8 or a Vango Venture 500?

SachaF · 10/01/2008 20:37

Lucycat, might be interested in the Vango Venture 500, can you comfortable fit a travel cot in the sleeping section? Can't have ds in with us as he is such a wriggler but I don't like that in our current tent he is at the other end in a seperate compartment!
Postage costs might be a big issue though...

needmorecoffee · 10/01/2008 20:44

yup. I have a few tents. Drives dh nuts. But if its all of us we need the 8 berth. Me n ds2 hiring a car rates the large 4 person but me n ds2 going by train rates the 2 small tents. Then if I cycle tour I need the lightweight touring tent.

Frizbe · 10/01/2008 20:45

Ah yes, we have the big tent for all of us, then one or maybe two (can't remember if ones gone on permanent loan) smaller ones for two or three people at a time.

needmorecoffee · 10/01/2008 20:46

I love looking at tents and camping gear too. And I love my trangia and collapsible washing bowl and wind up torch and and and....

Julienoshoes · 11/01/2008 08:18

I was lucky enough to borrow a tent the first year we went to all of the home education gatherings and camps (I had given away all of my camping gear years before as DH wasn't a camping sort of guy, then deregistered the children from school and found that our local home education group went to the camps-hey ho)
The following year I was given a very old trailer tent and that lasted for three more years and lots of camps.
Through all of the camps on all of that time, I looked and looked at other people's tents and made up my mind what I wanted.
By this time the children have all grown up into teenagers and no longer sleep in my tent.
Dh then bought me my perfect tent for my birthday a couple of years back.
I love it.
It is technically 6 berth but has one small two man bedroom just right for me on my own and then a big four person room that we use for if it is too sunny (ha!) or too wet outside.

I can almost erect it on my own-just need a tiddly bit of help at one point and can definitely take it down on my own.

Then the 'kids' each have a three man dome tent of their own and we have all of the other camping gear that needs storing and taking to camps-so I kept the trailer part of the trailer tent and keep/take everything in that!

I can be very 'sad' talking about tents!

Pixel · 12/01/2008 12:22

Well, I hope it's normal because we've got 4 now. We got a cheapy family tent but soon realised that it was too low and too draughty so we got a Vango with a sewn-in groundsheet and lots of head-room. Then I was taking the dcs away just for one night with their school friends and didn't fancy trying to put up the six-berth just for that. I was in Tesco buying camping food and saw a little two-berth that was really cheap which I thought me and two dcs could squeeze into just for one night. It was ok but cramped and ds is growing like a weed so I've now picked up a 3-berth dome tent in the sales for our next overnight trip! It's great because I can put it up by myself in a few minutes, I tried it out in the garden .
Am not ruling out another tent (haven't told dh though!), because I wouldn't mind a few extra weekends away now we've found this lovely site by a sandy beach where you don't have to book. It's a pain putting up the Vango and dh refuses to use the non-groundsheet one again so....

discoverlife · 12/01/2008 12:24

I bought a humoungeous 12 beth tent on ebay and ....never actually got it out of its box. Ended up selling it at a car boot for more then I paid for it.

discoverlife · 12/01/2008 12:26

{WAVES} I could be in line for a big tent again as I am holding a clan meeting at our place later this year and could do with one to shove the younger/boistrous members in.

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